Is anxiety driving your organization?

Anxious organizations cultivate lazy decisions.

THINK ON IT: Is anxiety driving your organization?

Today’s question to ponder isn’t an if.

There should be no doubt that anxiety exists in your organization. An anxiety-free organization is a unicorn.

As a strategic leader, the question you must consider is this: is the level of anxiety in your organization driving your organization. Has it risen to the point where it’s affecting the critical thinking necessary to make good decisions?

Anxious organizations cultivate lazy decisions — those that serve, first and foremost, to reduce the anxiety felt by those making the decision. 

That’s a natural response. Neurologically, it’s a response of our sympathetic nervous system to a perceived threat, commonly referred to as a fight, flight, or freeze response. We move to protect ourselves from the threat, and suffice it to say, our thinking is not at our best under threat. 

Think of anxiety like the dashboard indicator for the presence of fear and uncertainty. And face it: every person in your team has some level of fear or uncertainty. That’s being human.

That’s why, if you’re leading well, you’re concerned about keeping alignment with your team. You know all too well the challenges of keeping everyone on the boat; especially so, if you’re guiding your team through a significant business transformation. 

Take a look inside yourself and around your organization. Go on a hunt. Look for signs of anxiety. You might be surprised by what you find.

And it’s there where your leadership is needed most.

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” 

– Charles Spurgeon

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